PLAYING dad to fluffy flamingo chicks is all in a day’s work for Owen Joiner, who has taken the birds under his wing to give them the best start in life.

PLAYING dad to fluffy flamingo chicks is all in a day's work for Owen Joiner, who has taken the birds under his wing to give them the best start in life.

The aviculture expert is providing round-the-clock care to six Chilean flamingo babies at the Washington Wetland Centre, and it’s the first time such chicks have needed to be hand-reared.

It’s too risky to let flamingos laid late in the year to be parent-reared because of the colder weather so it’s down to Owen to act as dad.

The young birds – the last of which began hatching yesterday – are from the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust’s (WWT’s) headquarters in Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, but were transported to the North East in incubators while still inside their eggs.

And as well as boosting the current flock’s size, there are high hopes they will boost breeding levels in the centre.

Meanwhile, the chicks, which are between a day and three weeks old, are being cared for by Owen who is expertly mimicking the actions of parent birds.

He said: “Our own flock of 38 Chilean flamingos failed to produce eggs for the fifth season running this year, despite displaying, flirting, mating and nest-building.

“Hand-rearing flamingos is a delicate matter. We have dedicated volunteers and staff covering extra duties so that I can commit myself to their round-the-clock care.

“They also need regular exercise and precise health checks to protect their delicate legs as they grow, in case they become too heavy for them.

“Lack of sunlight is an issue too, because the chicks need Vitamin D to grow and develop properly but can’t be exposed to the cold for too long, so I’ve been supervising ‘sunbathing’ sessions for them when the weather is warm enough.”